Author Archives: stevetomlin

Belbroughton scythe factory film

Here’s a fantastic short film about the Belbroughton scythe works which made scythes for the Nash company. I visited the village in 2012 and sadly there is little left of the works but lots of evidence of its importance in … Continue reading

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Scything a community orchard in Manchester

What  better way to spend a sunny bank holiday than going out to cut the grass? I offered to go and mow a community orchard in Levenshulme, Manchester as the regular volunteers were finding it difficult to cope with the … Continue reading

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Shropshire Hills Hay Meadow Festival 2021

The Shropshire Hills Hay Meadow Festival 2021 is taking place on Saturday 24th July at the Discovery centre, Craven Arms. Celebrating Wildflower Meadows and their Wealth of Wildlife. Scything competitions/ have a go. Wildlife discovery activities Rural arts and crafts … Continue reading

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Beech leaf gin liqueur

The trees are coming into leaf so it’s time to make beech leaf noyau, a delicious but largely unknown country liqueur based on gin. Beech noyau is very similar to sloe gin in that it’s an infusion of gin with … Continue reading

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Birch eating spoons

During my spoon carving workshop the other week, I made a couple of eating spoons from some lovely local birch. To demonstrate, I made one (on the left) by carving from the bark and the other (right) from the radially … Continue reading

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Spoon carving workshop 2021 in Yorkshire Dales

It’s fantastic to be back out teaching crafts again and what a wonderful way to start with a two day spoon carving course at Broadrake in the Yorkshire Dales. Tucked just under Whernside among the Yorkshire Three Peaks, it’s an … Continue reading

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Scythe peening 2021

This Sunday was International Peening Day 2021 so I spent a little time in the sunshine peening a scythe blade ready for the mowing season. I started with the peening jig to do most of the work and finished off … Continue reading

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Lawn vs meadow article

Fantastic to see so many organisations getting on board with the idea of converting lawns to wildlife-friendly wildflower meadows and this getting coverage in the Guardian. The RHS, some National Trust estates and King’s College, Cambridge are among those quoted … Continue reading

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Learn to Scythe courses 2021

My Learn to Scythe course dates 2021 are now set and already starting to fill up. The weather is warming up and this weekend sees the Vernal Equinox and official start of Spring so it’s the perfect time to be … Continue reading

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Belbroughton scythe history talk 2021

For those of you interested in the English scythe and it’s history, you won’t want to miss this talk on 11 Feb 2021 about the Belbroughton scythe making industry. Book your tickets via Eventbrite The Rise and Fall of Belbroughton’s … Continue reading

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